Slingsby extends his lead at Laser World Championships

Australian sailor Tom Slingsby has extended his lead at the top of the ladder at the 2012 Laser World Championships following another two races in light, shifty, conditions.

The conditions shook up the leader board on day three of racing in Boltenhagen, Germany, but one thing remained constant, Australia’s four-time World Champion continues to lead the way.

Slingsby went into Sunday’s two races holding a three point lead, with first and eighth place finishes allowing him to extend this to eight points by the end of the day, with Sweden’s Rasmus Myrgren moving into second overall. 

“Today was another good day of racing for me and once again we had five to six knots of breeze and it was very shifty,” said Slingsby. “In the first race of the day I had a bad start but took a risk on the left side and it paid off and I managed to round the top mark third.

“From there I was able to get to the lead and win comfortably,” he said. “In race two I had a really nice start but got caught a bit out of position and lost a bit of ground.

“I was coming into the top mark about 10^th when I was fouled by another boat, he admitted the error and did a 720 degree turn but I lost about eight or nine positions in the process,” said Slingsby. “From there it was just about trying to catch as many people as possible which I managed to do well to finish up eighth. So it was a good day, I’m sailing well and looking forward to hitting the water again tomorrow.”

Slingsby has been the most consistent sailor in the opening six races with the world number one picking up four wins, a fourth and an eighth with many of those around him already carrying big scores.

“I can’t really see the other fleets but if their racing was anything like ours it was easy to have a big score,” said Slingsby. “This is all still qualifying so once we hit finals it will make it very tough to be consistent.

“I’m just taking each race as it comes and not looking too far ahead,” he said.

Fellow Australian Tom Burton went into the day third overall but a 22^nd and a 23^rd saw him slip down the ladder.

Burton now sits 11^th overall and is in the middle of a tight group of competitors, with the Sydney based sailor just four points off seventh position.

Ashley Brunning and Ryan Palk are 18^th and 19^th respectively with just a point separating the two.

Brunning finished with a 24^th and a fourth on Sunday with Palk crossing the line in 13^th and 10^th.

James Burman is 45^th, ahead of Matthew Wearn in 55^th, with Wearn beginning the day with his best result so far this regatta, a fifth, before finishing 24^th in race two. 

Jared West is 86^th after also picking up a fifth, his coming in race two, with Ki-Raphael Sulkowski in 145^th and Klade Hauschildt in 159^th.